Automobile mirror system



FeB. s. 1927. 1,617,270

c. w. PAUL AUTOMOBILE MIRROR SYSTEM Filed May 10. 1926 w I I INVEN' I'OR av'lllz awl.

' ATTORNEYS I Patented Feb. 8 1927.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

v OARL w. PAUL, on NEW YORK, 11.1.

AUTOMOBILE MIRROR SYSTEM.

. Application filed May 10, 1926. Serial No. 108,092.

The present invention is concerned with the PI'OVISIOII of a mirror system for auto motive vehlcles, so arranged that the driver of a car without turning his head may at' all times have a' full and unobstructed View. of the road behind him.

An object of the invention is to rovide a mirror system of this character w rich will not only prevent the common inconvenience of the occupants of the back seat of the car interfering with-the view of the road in the mirror, but which will also afford considerable more privacy tothe occupants of the rear seat, in that they will not be under the' constant surveillance of the chauffeur as is now customary either where mirrors are used, or where the chauffeur must turnaround to view the road behind him.

A further object of the invention is to provide a 'mirror system of the character.

above noted, so arranged that it will "in on way 'render the car conspicuous, and so 'mcorporatedm the car as to not materiallybe more. fully hereinafter set forth and -.pointed out in-the claims. 'The invention may be more fully. understood from the fol- Y lowing description in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. '1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an automotive vehicle embodying-the resent invention-,the top roken away and in section to disclose the mirrors. a p

Fig. 2 is partially a. top plan view of the car, and partially a viewin longitudinal section on the line 2- 2 of Fig. 1.

. In the drawings, 1 have used the reference character 10 to designate an automotive vehicle which may be of generally convention- 551 construction. The car is' provided with Hollow top includinga ceiling portion 11- and a roof portion providing an unob a pair of longitudina of the car belng.

structed space 13 between them extendin pratlcally the full length of the top.

series of mirrors is so. arranged thatthe image of the road behind the car may be reflected through the space 13 to a mirror visible at all times to the chauffeur. Ob-

viously numerous expedients might .be resorted to in this connection, but I have devised one simple system of mirrorswhich will be inconspicuous in use, and which will prevent the possibility of foreign matter'collecting on the space between the ceiling and the roof. 4

Secured to the'rear end of the roof as b a bracket 14 is a rearwardly and upwar y extending mirror 15 disposed 1m parallelism with an oppositely facing 'rearwardly and upwardly extendingmirror 16 supported on the .rear end of the ceiling 11 b a bracket 17. The ends of 'the bracket 1 may conveniently define flanges 18 removably re- 'taininga plate of glass 19 in verticalposition, so that the entrance of forei n matter into the s ace 13 is prevented. @Iirror 17 is shaded y an extension 17.

The space 13is' prplferably subdivided by y extending partition members 20 to define 'a restricted area of greatest width at its rear end, through which images from the mirror 16 are reflected to a mirror 21 mounted at the front of the car Mirror 21 may be secured in any suitabie manner to the upper portion ofthe'wind shield frame 22, and extends from the root 12 to a point somewhat below the ceiling 11. The ceiling 11 is provided with a cut away portion 23 near its forward end, and on the rear edge of this cut away portion I mount a vertically disposed forwardly facing mirror 24 adapted to coact with the mirror 21.

As indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the image of the road behind the car is reflected upon the mirror 14, thence downwardly to the mirror 16, forwardlyto the upper portion of the mirror 21, rearwardly to the min ror.24; and forwardly to the lower portion "of the mirror 21- where it may be come nientlyobserved by the chaufieur. It will be noted that the arrangement of mirrors-is such, that the'image will he right-,side-up on p the lower portion of the mirror 21. By

properly arranging the inclination of the o mirrors-15 and 16, a comprehensive view of the road may be had. 1 V V a 'In he particular embodiment of the invention illustrated, the parts 14 and 17 wmch.

I I. have terminated brackets may conven elements inc the passageway and reflectors at the front of the passageway, one'of said latter reflectors, bein arranged in position for observation ientl constitute plate-like portions cooperative y defining an upwardly inclined housing member, the bottom and top of said hous= ing being faced with the mirrors l5 and 16,

and the back'of the housing carrying the window 19. Various changes and made in the general form and arrangement of parts described without departing from the invention. Hence I do not wish to limit m self to the details set forth, but shall consi or myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims."

I claim: i

1. The combinationwith an automobile including a hollow top defining an unobstructed passageway from thefront to the of a train of image reflecting.

rear thereof luding reflectors at the rear of t e driver of the car and disclosing through the intermediacy of said train an through said passage an unobstructed view .of the road behind the automobile.

2; The combination with an automobile,

including a hollow top defining an unobstructed passageway from thefront to the rear thereof, of a pair of oppositely facing mirrors arranged atthe rear of the passageway and inclined at-approximately 45 0 the plane thereof, one mirror reflecting the image of the road behind the car onto the other, and a 'mirror at the front of said-passageway presenting to the drivers, view, a reflection from said other mirror.

3. The combination with an automobile, including a hollow top defining an unobstructed passageway from the front to the rear thereof, of a pair of oppositely facing mirrors arranged at the rear of the passageway and inclined at. approximately f the plane thereof, one mirror reflecting the image of the road behind the 'car onto the other, and a mirror at the front of said passa eway presentin to the drivers view, a re ection from sai other mirror, the front mirror bein secured adj acentthe'upper end structed passageway from the front .to the rear thereof, of'a pair of oppositely facing mirrors arranged at the rearof the passage alterations might beway and inclined at approximately 45 to the plane thereof, one mirror reflecting the image of theroad behind the car onto the other, and a mirror at the front of said pasimage of the road behind the car onto the other, a mi rror at the front of saidpassageway presentin reflection from sai like housing protecting the two rear mirrors and hgving awindow in its rear side,

6. wherein the forwardly facing -mirror is 7 mounted in a cutaway portionat the for ward end of the ceiling. a 1 7. The combinationwith an automobile including a hollow top defining an unobstructed passageway from the front'to the rear thereof, of a train ofimage reflecting and inclined at approximately 45 to the plane thereof, one mirror reflecting the I device as set forth in claimfii and to the drivers view, a;

other mirror, and a box' elements including reflecting means at the,

rear of the passageway, and reflecting meansat the front of the passageway, said last mentioned reflecting means including a reflector arranged in position for observation by the driver of a car, and disclosing through the intermediacy of said'train and through I said passa eway an unobstructed view of the road behind the automobile. CARL W; PAUL. 

